Alice Lynne "Lindy" Chamberlain-Creighton (born 4 March 1948) was at the centre of one of Australia's most publicised murder trials in which she was accused and convicted of killing her 2-month old daughter, Azaria while camping at Uluru. In her defence, she always maintained that she saw a dingo leave the tent where Azaria slept on the night she disappeared. Eight years later her conviction was overturned in the discovery of new evidence and both she and Michael Chamberlain were acquitted of all charges. She was adjudged wrongly convicted only after having spent three years in prison for murdering her baby, and having given birth to her fourth child while a prisoner. In 1992 Lindy Chamberlain received $1.3 million compensation from the Australian government for wrongful imprisonment.^[1]

Early life[link]

Alice Lynne Murchison was born in Whakatane, New Zealand where she was known as "Lindy" from a young age. She moved to Australia with her family in 1949. She and her family were members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and she married fellow Adventist and pastor Michael Chamberlain on 18 November 1969. In the 1970s the Chamberlains had two sons; Aidan, born in 1973, and Reagan, born in 1976. Chamberlain's first daughter, Azaria, was born 11 June 1980, her second daughter and fourth child, Kahlia, was born in November 1982. For the first five years after their marriage they lived in Tasmania, after which they moved to Mount Isa in northern Queensland.^[2] At the time their daughter Azaria went missing, Lindy's husband Michael served as minister of Mount Isa's Seventh Day Adventist Church.^[3]

Azaria Chamberlain's disappearance[link]

When Azaria was two months old, the family went on a camping trip to Uluru, arriving on 16 August 1980. On the night of 17 August, Chamberlain reported that the child had been taken from her tent by a dingo.^[4] A massive search was organised; Azaria was not found but the jump suit she had been wearing was discovered about a week later about 4000m from the tent, bloodstained about the neck, indicating the probable death of the missing child. A matinee jacket the child had been wearing was not found at the time.^[5][6] From the day Azaria went missing, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain have maintained a dingo took their child, and early on in the case, the facts showed that for the two years before Azaria went missing, Uluru / Ayers Rock chief ranger Derek Roff had been writing to the government urging a dingo cull and warning of imminent human tragedy, that dingoes were becoming increasingly cheeky, approaching and sometimes biting people.^[7]

Conviction, imprisonment and release[link]

The initial inquiry, held in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, by Alice Springs magistrate and coroner Dennis Barritt in December 1980 and January 1981, supported the Chamberlains' account of Azaria's disappearance, finding a dingo took the child.^[3][1] The Supreme Court quashed the findings of the initial inquest and ordered a second inquest in December 1981, with the taking of evidence concluded in February 1982. By an indictment presented to the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory in September 1982, Lindy Chamberlain was charged with the murder of Azaria Chamberlain and Michael Chamberlain was charged with being an accessory after the fact. On 29 October 1982 the Chamberlains were both found guilty as charged.^[8]

Second inquest[link]

In committing the Chamberlains for trial, the coroner who performed the second inquest and recorded findings as to the cause and manner of Azaria's death, stated that although the evidence was, to a large degree, circumstantial, a jury properly instructed could arrive at a verdict; with regard to the clothing evidence, he surmised that the Chamberlains knew dingos were in the area, attempted to simulate a dingo attack, recovered Azaria's buried body, removed her clothing, damaged it by cutting, rubbed it in vegetation and deposited the clothes for later recovery.^[9] On this basis and that of blood evidence of unknown origin found in the Chamberlains' car, the Chamberlains were prosecuted and convicted for the murder of their 2-month old baby, with Lindy sentenced to life imprisonment^[10] and Michael Chamberlain convicted as an accessory to murder.^[6] The blood believed to have been found in the Chamberlain's car was later determined to be most likely a sound deadening compound from a manufacturing overspray.^[11]

Prosecution claims[link]

The prosecution's theory was that, in a five to ten minute absence from the camp fire, Lindy returned to her tent, did whatever was necessary to stop her young son Aidan from following her, changed into track suit pants, took Azaria to her car, obtained and used scissors to cut Azaria's throat, waited for Azaria to die (options were carotid arteries or jugular - all experts said there was an absence of evidence of arterial bleeding on the jump suit blood stains and it would take up to 20 minutes if the death was from cutting the jugular), hid the body in a camera case in the car, cleaned up blood on everything including the outside of the camera case, removed the tracksuit pants, obtained baked beans for her son from the car, returned to the tent, did something to leave blood splashes there and brought her son Aidan back to the campfire without ever attracting the attention of other campers and counting on her son not noticing she had taken Azaria and returned without her and asking where she had taken Azaria. She then later returned to the tent and immediately claimed that she saw a dingo taking her baby with people hearing dog noises at the time being a purely coincidental occurrance. Evidence such as the canine tracks hard up against the tent that night was also purely coincidental. Noone noticing alleged blood on Mrs Chamberlain's clothes in the hours after the disappearance was purely fortunate. Mrs Chamberlain opening the car where the body was allegedly hidden to give a dog the scent of Azaria from the clothes in the car was a daring act. She also must have somehow done it without her husband's knowledge or he was also incredibly daring given that he left his children in her care afterward and he told the police that he had given them the wrong camera case and then gave them the one that was allegedly used to conceal the body.^{[5][11] [6]}

The prosecution's expert testimony for forensic evidence included that of James Cameron, a scientist who had also given crucial evidence in a case in England which was later overturned when his expert evidence was proved wrong.^[5] With regard to the timing of the baby's cry and Mrs. Chamberlain's whereabouts, the prosecution also claimed that the Chamberlains convinced fellow camper and witness Sally Lowe to say that she heard Azaria cry after Mrs. Chamberlain returned to the camp fire.^[12] Witness Judith West, who was camped 30m away, testified to hearing a dog's low, throaty growl coming from that direction, a sound that she associated with growls her husband's dogs made when he was slaughtering sheep.^[12][13]

Post-conviction[link]

Shortly after her conviction, Chamberlain was escorted from Berrimah Prison under guard to give birth to her fourth child, Kahlia, on 17 November 1982, in Darwin Hospital, and was returned thereafter to prison.^[3] An appeal to the Federal Court against conviction was subsequently dismissed. Another appeal against her conviction was rejected by the High Court in February 1984.^[14]

Release on new evidence[link]

ABC news report on the day of Lindy Chamberlain's release.

New evidence emerged on 2 February 1986 when a remaining item of clothing was found partially buried near Uluru in an isolated location adjacent to a dingo lair: Azaria's missing matinee jacket, which the police had maintained for years did not exist.^[3] Five days later, on 7 February 1986, with Azaria's missing jacket found and supporting the Chamberlain's defence case, Lindy Chamberlain was released from prison, and her life sentence was remitted by the Northern Territory Government.^[11][10] A Royal Commission began investigating the matter further in 1987.

Morling Royal Commission[link]

The purpose of the Royal Commission was to enquire into and report on the correctness of the Chamberlain convictions. In reaching the conclusion that there was a reasonable doubt as to the Chamberlains' guilt, Commissioner Morling concluded that the hypothesis that Mrs. Chamberlain murdered Azaria had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt. Although the Commission was of the opinion that the evidence afforded considerable support for the dingo hypothesis, the Commission did not examine the evidence to see whether it had been proved that a dingo took the baby. To do so would, in the words of Commissioner Morling, involve "... (a) fundamental error of reversing the onus of proof and requiring Mrs Chamberlain to prove her innocence." (at 339 of the Report).^[6]

Acquittal[link]

In acquitting the Chamberlains in 1988, the Supreme Court found that the alleged "baby blood" found in the Chamberlain's car, upon which the prosecution so heavily relied, could have been any substance, but was likely that of a sound deadening compound from a manufacturing overspray.^[11] This finding underscored inconsistencies in the earlier blood testing, which, along with the later-recovered matinee jacket from a dingo lair area, had given rise to the Morling Royal Commission's doubts about the propriety of her conviction. The court also noted that as DNA testing was not advanced in the early 1980s, the expert testimony given by the prosecution at trial and relied on by the jurors was reasonable evidence at the time, even though it was ultimately found to be faulty.^[11]

Third inquest[link]

After the Chamberlains were acquitted by the Supreme Court in September 1988 and their convictions overturned, a third inquest in 1995 took place, with the coroner's report stating that it was a "paper inquest" rather than a full inquest since there was little new evidence and the second inquest was never fully completed.^[6] The coroner considered the Morling Royal Commission's report enquiring into the correctness of the convictions against Alice Lynne Chamberlain along with submissions made on behalf of the Chamberlains, and returned an open verdict in Azaria's cause of death, or, insufficient evidence by the prosecution that failed to meet the required standard of proof for conviction. Specifically, he wrote "After examining all the evidence I am unable to be satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Azaria Chamberlain died at the hands of Alice Lynne Chamberlain. It automatically follows that I am also unable to be satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Michael Leigh Chamberlain had any involvement in the death." He also wrote that because the evidence for the death-by-dingo hypothesis was never developed "I am unable to be reasonably satisfied that Azaria Chamberlain died accidentally as a result of being taken by a dingo."^[15] He noted that "Indeed, the evidence affords considerable support for the view that a dingo may have taken her. To examine the evidence to see whether it has been proved that a dingo took Azaria would be to make the fundamental error of reversing the onus of proof and requiring Mrs Chamberlain to prove her innocence."^[16]

2012 inquest[link]

Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton and Michael Chamberlain have continued to push for a fuller investigation of Azaria's death as caused by a dingo.^[17] A new inquest began in February 2012^[18][19] and new figures on dingo attacks on Fraser Island have been collated by the Queensland Government's Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM). They will reportedly be provided as evidence at the Azaria Chamberlain inquest.^[4] Coroner Elizabeth Morris said new evidence in relation to dingo attacks on infants and young children had helped convince her to reopen the investigation.^[18] After 32 years of intense media interest and public excoriation, the Chamberlains have stated they are yet unsatisfied with bare acquittal and presumed innocence, they are keen to finally, and definitively, determine how their daughter died.^[4][20]

Court cases[link]

• Chamberlain v R (Azaria Chamberlain case & Dingo case) (1983) 153 CLR 514; (1983) 46 ALR 608; 2 May 1983, HCA, Brennan J – bail application
• Chamberlain v R (Azaria Chamberlain case & Dingo case) (1983) 46 ALR 493; 29 April 1983, FCA, Bowen CJ, Forster & Jenkinson JJ
• Chamberlain v R (No 2) (Azaria Chamberlain case & Dingo case) (1984) 153 CLR 521; (1984) 51 ALR 225; 22 February 1984, HCA, Gibbs CJ, Mason, Murphy, Brennan & Deane JJ
• Chamberlain v R, (Acquittal decision) Reference Under S.433A of the Criminal Code by the Attorney-General for the Northern Territory of Australia of Convictions of Alice Lynne Chamberlain and Michael Leigh Chamberlain, Supreme Court of the Northern Territory of Australia, No. CA2, 1988.

Subsequent life[link]

Chamberlain published Through My Eyes: an autobiography in 1990.

Chamberlain was divorced from Michael Chamberlain in 1991. On 20 December 1992, she married an American, Rick Creighton, a publisher and fellow member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She subsequently became known as Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton.^[1] She and Creighton live in Australia.^[2]

In August 2010, on the 30th anniversary of the death of Azaria, Chamberlain appealed on her website to have the cause of death amended on Azaria's death record.^[17][21]

Film and other adaptations[link]

In the 1983 Australian TV movie about the case, Who Killed Baby Azaria?, Chamberlain was played by Elaine Hudson. In the 1988 film Evil Angels (released in Europe and the Americas as A Cry in the Dark) the role was played by Meryl Streep, whose performance received an Academy Award nomination for best actress in 1989. Miranda Otto played Chamberlain in the 2004 Australian TV mini-series Through My Eyes: The Lindy Chamberlain Story.

• Who Killed Baby Azaria? (1983) (TV, Network Ten) at the Internet Movie Database
• "Evil Angels" or "A Cry in the Dark" (1988) at the Internet Movie Database
• Through My Eyes (2004) (TV, Seven Network) at the Internet Movie Database

Australian composer Moya Henderson wrote the opera Lindy to a libretto by Judith Rodriguez.^[22] In 1990, the Rank Strangers' recording of their song "Uluru", which supported the Chamberlains and called for compensation to be paid to them, finished in the final five of the Australian Country Music Awards in Tamworth, New South Wales.

See also[link]

Miscarriage of justice

References[link]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Linder, Doug, Professor, The Trial of Lindy and Michael Chamberlain: A Chronology, University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School, 1995-2011.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton Biography, Accessed 2012-2-25.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Linder, Doug, Professor, The Trial of Lindy and Michael Chamberlain ("The Dingo Trial"), University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School, 1995-2011.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Winterman, Denise, Dingoes: How dangerous are they?, BBC News, 2012-02-25.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Lewis, Roger, Scientists in the Dock Lawyers Scientists and the Prosecution of Offenders, Deakin University, 2001. Accessed 2012-2-26.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4} Lowndes, John, 1995 Inquest Into The Death Of Azaria Chamberlain, Coroner for the Northern Territory, Australia, 1995-12-13. (3rd inquest)
7. ↑ Toohey, Paul, Witch Hunt, The Australian, 2000-7-15. Accessed 2012-2-25.
8. ↑ Lowndes, pp. 1-2.
9. ↑ Lowndes, pp. 4-9, citing the transcript of the second inquest proceedings, 1982-02-02, at 779.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Azaria Chamberlain - Chamberlain v R - death of baby by dingo, LIAC Crime Library, New South Wales State Library. Accessed 2012-2-25.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4} Reference Under S.433A of the Criminal Code by the Attorney-General for the Northern Territory of Australia of Convictions of Alice Lynne Chamberlain and Michael Leigh Chamberlain, Supreme Court of the Northern Territory of Australia, No. CA2, 1988. (Acquittal decision.)
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Using the Chamberlain Case to explore evidence in history, National Museum of Australia, p. 6, 2001. Accessed 2012-2-25.
13. ↑ Using the Chamberlain Case to explore evidence ... page 18.
14. ↑ Chamberlain v. The Queen (No.2), Chamberlain v R (No 2) ("Chamberlin case") [1984] HCA 7; (1984) 153 CLR 521, 1984-2-22.
15. ↑ Lowndes, pp. 97-98.
16. ↑ Lowndes, p. 67.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} Murdoch, Lindsay, Not over: Chamberlain seeks justice from hearts of stone, Sydney Morning Herald, 2010-10-11. Accessed 25 February 2012.
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} Animal behaviour expert says recent dingo research probably strengthens case for showing a dingo took Azaria Chamberlain, The Daily Telegraph via Perth Now, 19 December 2011.
19. ↑ Bradford, Kelly Rose, Dingo case to be re-opened, parentdish.co.uk, 2011-12-11. Accessed 26 February 2012.
20. ↑ Rule, Andrew, New inquest must declare innocence, Herald Sun, 20 December 2011.
21. ↑ Hall, Lex, Change Azaria's death certificate to show a dingo was responsible, says Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, The Australian, 2010-8-17. Accessed 2012-2-26.
22. ↑ "Lindy". Opera Australia. 2002. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071212002621/http://www.opera-australia.org.au/opera/oaweb.nsf/lookups/5AE17CEABA2741FDCA256A6D0012FB83. Retrieved 14 October 2007. 

Further reading[link]

• Lindy Chamberlain's official website
• Michael Chamberlain's official website
• Chamberlain-Creighton Papers held by the National Library of Australia
• Papers of Chamberlain support groups, 1982-1986 held by the National Library of Australia
• The Chamberlain collection at the National Museum of Australia
• Conversation with Chamberlain held at the National Museum of Australia, 14 October 2007 (audio + transcript)
• Interview with Chamberlain

Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain (born 11 June 1980 in Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia) was a nine-week-old Australian baby girl, who disappeared on the night of 17 August 1980 on a family camping trip to Uluru (then known as Ayers Rock) in the Northern Territory. Her body was never found. Her parents, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, reported that she had been taken from their tent by a dingo. An initial inquest held in Alice Springs supported this assertion and was highly critical of the police investigation. The findings of the inquest were broadcast live on television—a first in Australia. Subsequently, after a further investigation and a second inquest held in Darwin, Azaria's mother, Lindy Chamberlain was tried for murder. She was convicted of murder on 29 October 1982 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Azaria's father, Michael Chamberlain, was convicted as an accessory after the fact and given a suspended sentence. A third inquest was conducted in 1995, which resulted in an "open" finding.^[1] A fourth inquest was announced in December 2011.

The media focus for the trial was extraordinarily intense and sensational. The Chamberlains made several unsuccessful appeals, including the final High Court appeal. After all legal options had been exhausted, the chance discovery of a piece of Azaria's clothing in an area full of dingo lairs led to Lindy Chamberlain's release from prison, on "compassionate grounds".^{[citation needed]} She was later exonerated of all charges. While the case is officially unsolved, the report of a dingo attack is generally accepted. Recent deadly dingo attacks in other areas of Australia have strengthened the case for the dingo theory.

The story has been made into a TV movie, a feature film, a TV miniseries, a play by Brooke Pierce, a concept album by Australian band The Paradise Motel and an opera by Moya Henderson.^[2] Numerous books have also been written about the case.^[3]

Coroner's inquests[link]

The initial coronial inquest into the disappearance was opened in Alice Springs on 15 December 1980 before magistrate Denis Barritt. On 20 February 1981, in the first live telecast of Australian court proceedings, Barritt ruled that the likely cause was a dingo attack. In addition to this finding, Barritt also concluded that subsequent to the attack, "the body of Azaria was taken from the possession of the dingo, and disposed of by an unknown method, by a person or persons, name unknown".^[4]

The Northern Territory Police and prosecutors were dissatisfied with this finding. Investigations continued, leading to a second inquest in Darwin in September 1981. Based on ultraviolet photographs of Azaria's jumpsuit, James Cameron of the London Hospital Medical College alleged that "there was an incised wound around the neck of the jumpsuit – in other words, a cut throat" and that there was an imprint of the hand of a small adult on the jumpsuit, visible in the photographs.^[5]

Following this and other findings, the Chamberlains were charged with Azaria's murder.

In 1995 a third inquest was conducted which failed to determine a cause of death, resulting in an "open" finding.^[1]

In December 2011 the Northern Territory coroner Elizabeth Morris announced that a fourth inquest would be held in February 2012.^[6][7]

Case against Lindy Chamberlain[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)

The Crown alleged that Lindy Chamberlain had cut Azaria's throat in the front seat of the family car, hiding the baby's body in a large camera case. She then, according to the proposed reconstruction of the crime, rejoined the group of campers around a campfire and fed one of her sons a can of baked beans, before going to the tent and raising the cry that a dingo had taken the baby. It was alleged that at a later time, while other people from the campsite were searching, she disposed of the body.^[8]

The key evidence supporting this allegation was the jumpsuit, as well as a highly contentious forensic report claiming to have found evidence of fetal haemoglobin in stains on the front seat of the Chamberlains' 1977 Torana hatchback. Fetal haemoglobin is present in infants six months and younger and Azaria was nine weeks old at the time of her disappearance.^[9]

Lindy Chamberlain was questioned about the garments that Azaria was wearing. She claimed that Azaria was wearing a jacket over the jumpsuit, but the jacket was not present when the garments were found. She was questioned about the fact that Azaria's singlet, which was inside the jumpsuit, was inside out. She insisted that she never put a singlet on her babies inside out and that she was most particular about this. The statement conflicted with the state of the garments when they were collected as evidence.^[10] The garments had been arranged by the investigating officer for a photograph.

In her defence, eyewitness evidence was presented of dingoes having been seen in the area on the evening of 17 August 1980. All witnesses claimed to believe the Chamberlains' story. One witness, a nurse, also reported having heard a baby's cry after the time when the prosecution alleged Azaria had been murdered.^[5] Evidence was also presented that adult blood also passed the test used for fetal haemoglobin, and that other organic compounds can produce similar results on that particular test, including mucus from the nose, and chocolate milkshakes, both of which had been present in the vehicle where Azaria was allegedly murdered.

Engineer Les Harris, who had conducted dingo research for over a decade, said that, contrary to Cameron's findings, a dingo's carnassial teeth can shear through material as tough as motor vehicle seat belts. He also cited an example of a captive female dingo removing a bundle of meat from its wrapping paper and leaving the paper intact.^[11] His evidence was rejected, however.

Evidence to the effect that a dingo was strong enough to carry a kangaroo was also ignored. Also ignored was the removal of a three-year-old girl by a dingo from the back seat of a tourist's motor vehicle at the camping area just weeks before, an event witnessed by the parents.

An Aboriginal man gave evidence that his wife had tracked the dingo and found places where it had put the baby down, leaving the imprint of the baby's clothing in the soil. This evidence was discounted, because the man spoke on behalf of his wife, but in the first person, according to Aboriginal custom.

The defence's case was rejected by the jury. Lindy Chamberlain was convicted of murder on 29 October 1982 and sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour. Michael Chamberlain was found guilty as an accessory after the fact^[12] and was given an 18-month suspended sentence.

Appeals[link]

An appeal was made to the High Court in November 1983.^[13] Asked to quash the convictions on the ground that the verdicts were unsafe and unsatisfactory, in February 1984 the court refused the appeal by majority.^[14]

Release and acquittal[link]

1986 ABC news report of Lindy Chamberlain's release.

The final resolution of the case was triggered by a chance discovery. In early 1986, English tourist David Brett fell to his death from Uluru during an evening climb. Because of the vast size of the rock and the scrubby nature of the surrounding terrain, it was eight days before Brett's remains were discovered, lying below the bluff where he had lost his footing and in an area full of dingo lairs. As police searched the area, looking for missing bones that might have been carried off by dingoes, they discovered a small item of clothing. It was quickly identified as the crucial missing piece of evidence from the Chamberlain case—Azaria's missing matinee jacket.

The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory ordered Lindy Chamberlain's immediate release and the case was reopened. On 15 September 1988, the Northern Territory Court of Criminal Appeals unanimously overturned all convictions against Lindy and Michael Chamberlain.^[15] The exoneration was based on a rejection of the two key points of the prosecution's case—particularly the alleged fetal haemoglobin evidence—and of bias and invalid assumptions made during the initial trial.

The questionable nature of the forensic evidence in the Chamberlain trial, and the weight given to it, raised concerns about such procedures and about expert testimony in criminal cases. The prosecution had successfully argued that the pivotal haemoglobin tests indicated the presence of fetal haemoglobin in the Chamberlains' car and that it was a significant factor in the original conviction. But it was later shown that these tests were highly unreliable and that similar tests, conducted on a "sound deadener" sprayed on during the manufacture of the car, had yielded virtually identical results.

Two years after they were exonerated, the Chamberlains were awarded A$1.3 million in compensation for wrongful imprisonment, a sum that covered only approximately one quarter of their legal expenses.

The findings of a third coroner's inquest were released on 13 December 1995. The coroner found that

Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain died at Ayers Rock on 17 August 1980. As to the cause of her death and the manner in which she died the evidence adduced does not enable me to say. I therefore return an open finding and record the cause and manner of death as unknown.^[1]

Media involvement and bias[link]

The Chamberlain trial was the most publicised in Australian history.^[4] Given that most of the evidence presented in the case against Lindy Chamberlain was later rejected, the case is now used as an example of how media and bias can adversely affect a trial.^[16]

Public and media opinion during the trial was polarised, with "fanciful rumours and sickening jokes" and many cartoons.^[17][18] In particular, antagonism was directed towards Lindy Chamberlain for reportedly not behaving as a "stereotypical" grieving mother.^[19] Much was made of the facts that the Chamberlains were Seventh-day Adventists (including false allegations that the church was in fact a cult that killed babies as part of bizarre religious ceremonies),^[20] that the family took a newborn baby to a remote desert location, and that Lindy Chamberlain showed little emotion during the proceedings.

One anonymous tip was received from a man, falsely claiming to be Azaria's doctor in Mount Isa, that the name "Azaria" meant "sacrifice in the wilderness" (it actually means "blessed of God")^[21] ("Azazel" is the name of a wilderness demon to whom a goat was "sent out" on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.^[22]) Others claimed that Lindy Chamberlain was a witch.^{[citation needed]}

The press appeared to seize upon any point that could be sensationalised. For example, it was reported that Lindy Chamberlain dressed her baby in black dress. This provoked negative opinion, despite the fact that in the early 1980s, black and navy cotton girls' dresses were in fashion, often trimmed with brightly coloured ribbon, or printed with brightly coloured sprigs of flowers.^[23][24]

Subsequent events[link]

In July 2004, Frank Cole, a Melbourne pensioner, claimed that he had shot a dingo in 1980 and found a baby in its mouth. After interviewing Cole on the matter, police decided not to reopen the case. He claimed to have the ribbons from the jacket which Azaria had been wearing when she disappeared as proof of his involvement. However, Lindy Chamberlain claimed that the jacket had no ribbons on it.^[25] Cole's credibility was further damaged when it was revealed he had made further unsubstantiated claims about another case.^[26]

The Chamberlains' claim that a dingo had taken Azaria was originally greeted with skepticism by many. Several factors led to this, including a lack of knowledge about dingoes and their behaviour and the fact that these animals generally live in remote areas and are therefore rarely seen by most Australians. Possibly because of the historical human partiality for domesticated dogs, dingoes were not regarded as a dangerous species.

Since the Chamberlain case, proven cases of attacks on humans by dingoes have brought about a dramatic change in public opinion. It is now widely accepted that, as the first inquest concluded, Azaria probably was killed by a dingo and that her body could easily have been removed and eaten by a dingo, leaving little or no trace.

Crucial to the change in public opinion was a string of dingo attacks during the late 1990s on Fraser Island off the Queensland coast, the last refuge in Australia for isolated pure-breed wild dingoes. In the wake of these attacks, it emerged that there had been at least 400 documented dingo attacks on Fraser Island. Most were against children, but at least two were on adults.^[27]

In April 1998, in a scenario strikingly similar to the story told by Lindy Chamberlain, a 13-month old girl was grabbed by a dingo and dragged from a picnic blanket at the Waddy Point camping area. In this case, the child was dropped when her father intervened.

In 2008, the Holden Torana car that was tested for Azaria's blood in the original court case was used in the wedding of Aidan Chamberlain, Azaria's brother, who was six when his sister disappeared. His bride arrived at the ceremony in the car and his father, Michael Chamberlain, said that he was proud the couple had chosen to use the car which was the centrepiece of the case.^[28]

Current status[link]

The cause of Azaria's disappearance has not been officially determined. The last official inquest listed the cause of her death as "undetermined". A body has never been found, only various items of bloodstained clothing. The Chamberlains, who were originally convicted, have been officially exonerated and eventually received some financial compensation. It is estimated that their legal fees exceeded $5 million.

In August 2005, a 25-year old woman named Erin Horsburgh claimed that she was Azaria Chamberlain, but her claims were rejected by the authorities and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Media Watch program, which stated that none of the reports linking Horsburgh to the Chamberlain case had any substance.^[29]

The Chamberlains divorced in 1991 and Lindy Chamberlain has since remarried. She and her new husband lived for a time in the United States and New Zealand but have since returned to Australia.

The National Museum of Australia has in its collection over 250 items related to the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain, which Lindy Chamberlain has helped document in relation to her ordeal. Items include courtroom sketches by artists Jo Darbyshire and Veronica O'Leary,^[30] camping equipment, a piece of the dashboard from the Chamberlain family's car, outfits worn by Lindy Chamberlain, the number from her prison door and the black dress worn by Azaria which was the cause of so many rumours.^[23][31] The National Library of Australia has a small collection of items relating to Azaria, such as her birth detail records and her hospital identification bracelet, as well as a manuscript collection that includes around 20,000 documents including some of the Chamberlain family's correspondence and a large number of letters from the general public.^[32]

On 17 December 2011, a spokesman for the Department of Justice in the Northern Territory announced that a fourth inquest into the incident would commence on 24 February 2012.^[33][34]

In the media[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

The story has been written into many different books and accounts.

• The story was told in an Australian TV docudrama, Who Killed Baby Azaria? (1983), with Elaine Hudson as Lindy Chamberlain and John Hamblin as Michael Chamberlain.
• John Bryson's book Evil Angels was published in 1985. In 1987, Australian film director Fred Schepisi adapted the book into a feature of the same name (retitled A Cry in the Dark outside of Australia and New Zealand). It starred Meryl Streep as Lindy Chamberlain and Sam Neill as Michael Chamberlain. There was some criticism at the time of the casting of an American actor as Lindy Chamberlain, however most critics were impressed with Streep's performance and ability to master an Australian accent and Chamberlain commended the accuracy of the movie and Streep's portrayal of her. The film gave Streep her eighth Academy Award nomination and her only AACTA award.
• Richard Davey wrote the play A Cry From The Heart in 1986 - a dramatisation of the police interview of Sally Lowe, who had been with the Chamberlains on the night that Azaria disappeared.
• In 1990, the Rank Strangers' recording of their song "Uluru", which supported the Chamberlains and called for compensation to be paid to them, finished in the final five of the Australian Country Music Awards in Tamworth, New South Wales.
• In 2002 Lindy, an opera by Moya Henderson, was produced by Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House.^[2][19]
• The story has since been dramatised as a TV miniseries, Through My Eyes (2004), with Miranda Otto and Craig McLachlan as the Chamberlains. This miniseries was based on Lindy Chamberlain's book of the same name.^[35]
• Australian neoclassical noir band The Paradise Motel's album, Australian Ghost Story, is a concept album based on the disappearance and subsequent case. It was released on 11 June 2010, the 30th anniversary of Azaria's birth.

The incident has been referred to several times in notable films and television programs, including:

• Seinfeld in a 1991 episode entitled "The Stranded"
• Frasier in a 1994 episode entitled "Flour Child"
• In the 1994 film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the young boy, Benji, acts out Lindy Chamberlain in a game of charades
• The Simpsons in a 1995 episode titled "Bart vs. Australia"
• Yes, Dear in a 2001 episode title "Worst in Show"
• Family Guy in a 2006 episode titled "Mother Tucker"
• Supernatural, in a 2007 episode titled "Mystery Spot"
• Psych in a 2008 episode titled "The Old and the Restless"
• The 2008 feature film comedy Tropic Thunder
• Real Time with Bill Maher in 10 February 2012 episode
• Oz's band in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer was named Dingoes Ate My Baby

References[link]

External links[link]

• Chamberlain collection at the National Museum of Australia